Victoria Karate Club Pioneers

by Russell Fairbrother

Victoria Karate Club must stand as pioneers in the advancement of Karate in New Zealand. Always on the look-out for different training techniques the club investigates their suitability to New Zealand conditions.

It is one of the smaller clubs on campus, and one of the most dedicated.

Recently the club held: what is thought to be the first camp of its kind in this country. Seventeen stoics of this 20-member club held a training weekend at the Boys' Brigade Campsite, Wainuio-mata.

Rising at 6am on both mornings, they endured one and a half hours of physically strenuous training before entering a mid-winter bush stream for a nude swim.

The daylight hours following breakfast were used to continue training. The only break allowed was for the midday meal. Tea was followed by Karate films and then early bed—sleeping bags.

Lightly clad and barefooted, these self - disciplinarians trained on all the types of terrain available. These included areas of native bush. As a rest they immersed themselves under an icy-cold waterfall in the bush.

Besides pushing themselves to the limits of their endurance, they strived to harden the muscles and develop balance.

These were only aspects of the weekend's training. The underlying aim of such a venture is to develop the "Kime" so important to Karate exponents.

This "Kime" (sometimes described as the "Karate spirit") requires a dedication rarely found in other forms of sport. 11 it is not acquired, a student of Karate is incapable of any significant advancement and his interest will soon wane.

Karate assumes the proportions of a cult in the Orient where it is believed to have originated over 15 centuries ago.

It is practised by the family unit. Each lineage has its own variations, the secrets of which used to be—and in some cases still are—jealously guarded.

The Karate Club is planning a similar camp for September. It will be even more austere—it is intended to reduce the number of meals.

Club leader Bob McCallum is sure that the 17 from the first camp will be all wanting to attend again. He is confident there will be 100 per cent attendance.

The smallest club in the Wellington area, it is also the champion club. This honour it won at the championships held last February.

Last year beach training was introduced. It was the first Wellington club to do this. The club trains on the Makara beach one Saturday afternoon every month. Cancellations are never made on account of the weather.

When asked whether members of the Victoria club devoted any of their time to tile smashing, Mr. McCallum said the club used this as a "barometer" with which they could measure progress. "It should not be used as a publicity gimmick."